Investigation of Treasury Department theft continues as officer is put on leave

Tuesday, April 21st 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: Last week Prime Minister Dean Barrow confirmed that some $500,000 was taken from the Public Treasury at the Central Bank Building in Belize City. Officials in the Department are accused of deliberately diverting funds by substituting a false bank account number.

Today Financial Secretary Joseph Waight offered an update, announcing that one officer is on leave and police continue to hunt for the clues that will lead to an arrest.

The total figure now stands at $550,000 taken in four separate payments over six months, two larger than the others, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has been called in to join the investigation. Secretary Waight says the transfers were in one case a private transaction and another a transfer for education and those persons must be paid back their funds.

According to the Financial Secretary he learned of the theft just around the Easter holidays while the Prime Minister was out of town at the Summit of the Americas and he sought more information to confirm what happened before briefing the P.M. on his return.

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